The Life And Work Of Buddhaghosa

In the history of Pali Buddhist Literature, the name of Buddhaghosa stands out pre-eminent as that of the greatest commentator and exegetist. Buddhaghosa did for the Pali Tripitaka what Sayana did for Vedic Literature. Many a word and expression, many point of Buddhist theology and many cruces of philosophy would not have been clearly intelligible to later generations but for the immense labour that Buddhaghosa bestowed upon the exegesis of the Pali texts. Besides mere verbal glosses and philological discussions, Buddhaghosa has introduced in his commentaries an immense mass of legends and fables, folk-tales and traditions history and biography, which has made his works a huge store-house from which the historian of ancient Indian sociology can draw without end. Born of Northern India (Magadh), Buddhaghosa was brought up in the Brahmanic traditions and had a wide knowledge of Indian Literature, including the sacred lore of the Brahmins and works on both science and art. Mr. Bimala Charan Law as an investigator in this unharvested field needs no introduction. The Book is all the more needed now as a very useful compendium of what we yet know of Buddhaghosa, both from his own works and from other documents. Theories about the great commentator which are cropping up rest on a more or less slender basis of evidence form lack of more historical prolegomena such as this book affords. Mr. Law has gone deeper into the works ascribed and referring to Buddhaghosa than any other English -writing author. As long as Buddhism remains a living faith among mankind, Buddhaghosa will not cease to be remembered with reverence and gratitude by Buddhist peoples and schools.